Turkish police detain 97 students over university protest
The students were protesting against a conference by Nureddin Yildiz, an Islamic preacher known for his controversial views on early marriages. The conference was organised by a student club of the university.
The 97 students were detained when they tried to break a police barricade on the campus, Istanbul governor Davut Gul said late on Tuesday, adding 13 police officers were injured when they fell into a five-metre construction pit during scuffles.
University students have been at the forefront of protests in Turkey in recent months over the detention of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival.
Students and teachers at Bogazici have protested regularly in recent years against what they say is government interference in academia.

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Turkish police detained 40 people including the mayor of Istanbul's central Beyoglu district as part of a corruption investigation, state broadcaster TRT Haber said on Friday, the latest wave in a crackdown on the opposition. Beyoglu mayor Inan Guney from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) was the 16th mayor to have been taken into custody in the crackdown, in which more than 500 people have been detained in less than a year. Among those in prison is Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, who is being investigated on charges of corruption and links to terrorism. The CHP denies the charges and calls them an attempt to eliminate a democratic alternative, a charge the government rejects. TRT Haber said those held in the latest operation are suspected of involvement in fraudulent activities at companies linked to the Istanbul municipality. Arrest warrants were issued for 44 people, including the 40 detained, it said. On Thursday, CHP mayor Ozlem Cercioglu from the western city of Aydin joined Erdogan's governing AK Party, citing disagreements with the CHP administration. CHP leader Ozgur Ozel told reporters, without providing evidence, that AK Party officials had threatened Cercioglu with legal investigations into her municipality and arrest unless she joined the party. AK Party deputy chair Hayati Yazici called Ozel's allegation 'completely untrue'. Cercioglu also rejected the claim.


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Historic launch: MJC establishes Bloemfontein branch to serve local Muslim communities
The Muslim Judicial Council have launched a branch in Bloemfontein in the Free State. Image: Supplied In a historical move, the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) has launched its first branch outside of the Western Cape and opened offices in the Free State. The branch is located in the heart of Bloemfontein. It said this momentous occasion represents the culmination of sustained collaborative effort, strategic consultation, and deep community engagement over the past year. President of the MJC, Sheikh Riaad Fataar, said the establishment of the Bloemfontein branch is an operational extension and an institutional affirmation of the MJC's commitment to unify, serve, and uplift diverse Muslim communities throughout the Republic of South Africa. President of the Muslim Judicial Council, Sheikh Riaad Fataar. Image: Supplied Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'The MJC enters a new epoch in its eight-decade legacy. The opening of the Bloemfontein branch reflects our resolve that shifts beyond provincial confines and responds decisively to the legitimate and articulated needs of a rapidly growing Muslim community. Our role has always been to serve with integrity, inclusivity, and vision. This expansion is a testament to that ethos,' Fataar said. According to the MJC, the decision to establish the branch followed sustained appeals from community leaders and residents in the Free State, who identified critical religious, social, and institutional gaps. In response, the MJC has committed to an administrative presence, with a holistic development vision which may include the future construction of a mosque, an Islamic high school, and the deployment of a full suite of MJC services. This will include marital counselling, da'wah initiatives, halaal certification, and broader community advocacy. The MJC's head of expansion projects, Moulana Siraaj Girie, stated the Bloemfontein office is not a 'satellite office'. 'This is a branch with structural permanence, functional depth, and spiritual vision. It is a direct result of intricate collaboration behind the scenes, inter-institutional consultations, and above all, the heartfelt aspirations of our brothers and sisters in this region. In our 80-year history, this is the first time the MJC has established a branch beyond the borders of the Western Cape, and we do so with full intentionality. The community here made their voices heard. They expressed their needs with dignity and clarity. We respond not as distant observers, but as partners in their aspirations,' Girie said. Executive member of the MJC, Moulana Salmaan Abrahams, shares these sentiments and said a paradigm shift from serving some to conscientiously serving many is being witnessed. 'This mirrors the ethos that inspired our first satellite initiative in Tafelsig, one of Cape Town's most underserved areas. Today, we scale that vision nationally,' he said.